Sri Lanka prison riot death toll rises to 26; 100 injured

The death toll in the violent unrest at a prison in Sri Lanka’s western coastal town of Negombo has risen to 26, authorities said on Monday. A clash erupted on Sunday between two rival groups of inmates in the over-capacity prison. Clash erupted again on Monday as rioting inmates had grabbed prison guns.

Twenty-five people have been killed and over 100 injured as a result of the clashes and subsequent disturbances within the prison, authorities were quoted as saying by the Hiru News. Preliminary findings have revealed that the violence is believed to have erupted between a group allegedly supporting drug trafficking activities within the prison and another group opposed to such activities.

Security has been significantly strengthened, with the Police Special Task Force (STF) and riot control units deployed to contain the situation. Following the clashes, three inmates were transferred to the Pallansena Prison Camp on Monday as part of efforts to restore order and prevent further violence, authorities said. Prisons Department Media Spokesman AC Gajanayake stated that a special investigation has been launched into the incident.